Closing the gap
The first of its kind and only one of three in Africa, a survey on HIV in children and infants will be conducted in Namibia.
A landmark HIV population survey aimed at closing a crucial data gap on the state of the HIV epidemic in Namibia and the impact of prevention, care and treatment will include the first in-depth analysis on HIV infection among infants and young children.
Of the more than 26 000 people targeted for interviews in 12 000 households during the fieldwork stage of the first Namibia population-based HIV Impact Assessment survey (Namphia), at least 6 000 will be children.
Although there are estimates available of HIV infection among young children and babies, experts say the survey will confirm whether the estimates are correct and help health workers and others to develop improved tools to help prevent infection and provide access to treatment.
Namphia is the first population-based survey of its nature in the country, and one of only three on the continent.
The survey aims to measure in detail the rate of new HIV infections in Namibia, the HIV prevalence by region and nationally, and the effectiveness of HIV treatments and responses.
To date, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have conducted the same survey with the notable finding that adult HIV prevalence is higher in females than in males aged 15 to 59.
The survey “will help us better understand the epidemic, where to focus our efforts more, in order to concentrate our actions in our quest to intersect transmission of the virus and ultimately reducing or ending the epidemic,” Dr Bernhard Haufiku, the minister of health and social services, said this week.
He said although Namibia had taken many steps to ensure a broad-based and effective response to the epidemic, Namphia was “a welcome and long overdue process” as a critical data-gathering tool.
The data collection phase begins this week and will involve at least 500 fieldworkers, divided into 35 teams, including health professionals, who will conduct tablet-based data collection methods in addition to testing for HIV during the next six months of the ground-based phase of the survey.
All information will be handled with strict confidentiality and newly diagnosed participants will be provided referrals to treatment centres.
Although Namibia's HIV response has long been praised for its data-driven response and intervention, experts say the Namphia project will target key and unique aspects of the epidemic.
United States ambassador Thomas Daughton said Namphia would help Namibia “to cross that last gap” in order to achieve its goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation.
“In other words, for the last and hardest part of the journey, we need to use the power of more detailed data. We need more information because there are still things about the epidemic that we do not know and that we need to know,” Daughton said.
He said Namphia would help Namibia establish how it had performed in the fight against HIV.
“The fact that the survey also has an impressive prevention, treatment and care component that will have a positive impact on the epidemic is an added benefit.”
From the surveys conducted to date, it is known that some population groups are more at risk of HIV infection than others.
These include adolescent girls, who are two to five times more likely to be infected with HIV than boys of the same age.
It is also known that the health system does not retain all HIV-positive patients in treatment.
With the Namphia survey the goal is to understand how adolescent girls enter the HIV infection cycle in order to take more effective steps to prevent infection.
Moreover, the survey aims to find out why patients stop treatment and how to ensure they remain in treatment.
JANA-MARI SMITH
Of the more than 26 000 people targeted for interviews in 12 000 households during the fieldwork stage of the first Namibia population-based HIV Impact Assessment survey (Namphia), at least 6 000 will be children.
Although there are estimates available of HIV infection among young children and babies, experts say the survey will confirm whether the estimates are correct and help health workers and others to develop improved tools to help prevent infection and provide access to treatment.
Namphia is the first population-based survey of its nature in the country, and one of only three on the continent.
The survey aims to measure in detail the rate of new HIV infections in Namibia, the HIV prevalence by region and nationally, and the effectiveness of HIV treatments and responses.
To date, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have conducted the same survey with the notable finding that adult HIV prevalence is higher in females than in males aged 15 to 59.
The survey “will help us better understand the epidemic, where to focus our efforts more, in order to concentrate our actions in our quest to intersect transmission of the virus and ultimately reducing or ending the epidemic,” Dr Bernhard Haufiku, the minister of health and social services, said this week.
He said although Namibia had taken many steps to ensure a broad-based and effective response to the epidemic, Namphia was “a welcome and long overdue process” as a critical data-gathering tool.
The data collection phase begins this week and will involve at least 500 fieldworkers, divided into 35 teams, including health professionals, who will conduct tablet-based data collection methods in addition to testing for HIV during the next six months of the ground-based phase of the survey.
All information will be handled with strict confidentiality and newly diagnosed participants will be provided referrals to treatment centres.
Although Namibia's HIV response has long been praised for its data-driven response and intervention, experts say the Namphia project will target key and unique aspects of the epidemic.
United States ambassador Thomas Daughton said Namphia would help Namibia “to cross that last gap” in order to achieve its goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation.
“In other words, for the last and hardest part of the journey, we need to use the power of more detailed data. We need more information because there are still things about the epidemic that we do not know and that we need to know,” Daughton said.
He said Namphia would help Namibia establish how it had performed in the fight against HIV.
“The fact that the survey also has an impressive prevention, treatment and care component that will have a positive impact on the epidemic is an added benefit.”
From the surveys conducted to date, it is known that some population groups are more at risk of HIV infection than others.
These include adolescent girls, who are two to five times more likely to be infected with HIV than boys of the same age.
It is also known that the health system does not retain all HIV-positive patients in treatment.
With the Namphia survey the goal is to understand how adolescent girls enter the HIV infection cycle in order to take more effective steps to prevent infection.
Moreover, the survey aims to find out why patients stop treatment and how to ensure they remain in treatment.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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